Response to "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Matthew Flics, Blog Post 809

Trapped. Stuck in an ethereal plane where nobody can understand you. Feeling constant, excruciating pain but not being able to express it. Nobody knows what you are going through, the unbearable self-hate and anger that you feel every day. You are furious at the world; alienated by your peers; depressed.

In the book it’s Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini, Craig Gilner goes through this pain every day. The teenaged New Yorker finds himself in an unbearable state of depression after countless stressful events occur that land him in a mental hospital. The author tells the story of Craig’s search for a cure for his condition and, who he meets along the way. Depression is an extremely concerning issue, but, Vizzini uses it, along with other troubling  themes, as the basis of his story.  Ned Vizzini uses powerful lines to relay themes that might be troubling in It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

Right at the beginning of the story, we are thrown into Craig’s world of utter despair. Constantly  overshadowed by his best friend, Aaron, Craig finds himself exhausted and worn out every day. On page 12, Craig states: “ I didn’t want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that’s really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you’re so relieved. I woke up into one. ” This is an early look into Craig’s dark and overwhelming universe . He would rather sleep than experience his adolescence and has blatantly stated that his life is, in fact, a nightmare. Everyone has felt the relief of waking up from a terrifying nightmare, but,  if I had to endure living in a nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from, I would probably feel like Craig does to some extent. This quote resonates with me because sometimes, staying in bed and sleeping sounds much more attractive then taking several high school tours and getting stacks upon stacks of homework. Although I have never felt nearly as strongly about this as Craig feels here, I can still relate to waking up to a day riddled with stress and frustration.

Sometimes, however, people are willing to go much farther than staying in bed all day.

Further into the book, Craig is talking with his doctor Barney and the following conversation ensues: “ Do you have a plan [to kill yourself?] ” Doctor Barney asks. “ Brooklyn Bridge ” answers Craig, on page 102. This implies that Craig is willing to end his own life by plummeting into the East River. This shocking reality check reminds readers that some people are willing to take rash measures when experiencing issues like depression. Nobody wants to acknowledge suicide as an issue, but this statement demonstrates  how sincere its possible victims are about ending their own lives. This is definitely threatening to both parents and their young adult children. Parents might be concerned that their children will be influenced by Craig’s behavior, while young adults might model Craig’s depressive disposition themselves.

Depression, in Craig’s case, at least, is forcing him to contemplate taking drastic measures and engage in behaviors such as self-starvation, which is ubiquitous throughout the story. Although people might feel disapproval toward the book because of its suicidal protagonist, the author does an excellent job of articulating that depression is a very critical condition that must be treated.

Powerful lines from It’s Kind of  a Funny Story have helped me to understand what depression is and how it affects teenagers around my age group. I feel very lucky that I live with a caring and supportive family that loves me and helps me through hard times. As we get older, we are exposed to more and more people like Craig, who feel abandoned from the second they wake- up, to the moment their head hits the pillow. Although it’s nice to believe that everything is alright in the world, the stark reality is that people are suffering. Depression is no different than any other life threatening condition as it bears the same, grim outcome. If it remains untreated, someone will die. This book has expanded my horizons beyond my happy and healthy friends and family. It has shown me how hard it is to live in a world where your greatest enemy is yourself.